This article analyzes how three mathematics preservice teachers (PSTs) reasoned quantitatively and covariationally while making sense of the Earth's energy budget (EB)--a model of energy circulation within the Earth's climate system--and discusses how their quantitative and covariational reasonings influenced their understanding of climate change.…

UNESCO has indicated the need for more research to test the effectiveness of education for sustainable development (ESD). This study analyzes how ESD is included in the Finnish national core curriculum and examines four environmental indicators to determine if a correlation exists between ESD and a cleaner physical environment in Finland. The…

Understanding climate change is becoming an urgent requirement for those in education. The normative values of education have long been closely aligned with the global, modernised world. The industrial model has underpinned the hidden and overt curriculum. Increasingly though, a new eco-centric orientation to economics, technology, and social…

People around the world are concerned about affordable energy. It is needed to power the global economy. Petroleum-based transportation and coal-fired power plants are economic prime movers fueling the global economy, but coal and gasoline are also the leading sources of air pollution. Both of these sources produce greenhouse gases and toxins.…

In this paper, we argue that two key trends--an unfolding ecological crisis and a reduction in the amount of (cheap) energy available to society--bring into question both the relevance and the resilience of existing educational systems, requiring us to rethink both the content and the form of education in general, and peace education in…

This paper is part of an extensive study of secondary school students' preconceived ideas about climate change. Here, we undertake a survey in the province of Valencia (Spain) to ascertain secondary school students' notions of the causes and consequences of climate change. Results show, among other things, that students clearly relate the misuse…

This lab experiment illustrates the use of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to perform proximate analysis on a series of coal samples of different rank. Peat and coke are also examined. A total of four exercises are described. These are dry exercises as students interpret previously recorded scans. The weight percent moisture, volatile matter,…

A consulting contract with the California Air Resources Board led to a project examining how California drivers' and fleet managers' perceptions, attitudes, and consumer behavior regarding Clean Vehicle Technologies influenced their own energy choices when it came to purchasing vehicles. The consultants examined archival research, conducted focus…

This article discusses the need for more accurate and complete input data and field verification of the various models of air pollutant dispension. Consideration should be given to changing the form of air quality standards based on enhanced dispersion modeling techniques. (Author/RE)

The time is ripe for environmental writers to mobilize for an approach that is more scientific and more statesmanlike in addressing energy issues. Three essential principles should govern writing: (1) objectivity; (2) scientific management of natural resources; and (3) risk analysis. (Author/RE)

This report is divided into two parts. The three chapters in part 1 describe environmental conditions and trends. Chapter 1 deals with underlying trends, primarily population growth and economic factors. Chapter 2 covers environmental contaminants, including toxic substances, hazardous waste, air and water pollutants, and overall waste production.…

This report reviews the progress achieved in Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries in attaining environmental objectives over the past two decades--the lifetime of most environmental policies and institutions. The report is organized in three parts. Part I examines the agenda for the 1990s: global atmospheric…

This document provides a preliminary set of environmental indicators by which to measure environmental performance. The indicators are patterned on the outline of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) "Report on the State of the Environment," a companion volume published in the same year. This volume is…